MEUSE, mk, or MAAS, miffs. One of the principal rivers of Western Europe. It rises on the Plateau of Langres in the Department of llaute-Slarne, Northeastern France, and flows at first north through a narrow. winding valley with high and steep sides, sometimes becoming carton-like with rocky dill's. and through the wild forest region of Ardennes (Slap: France. 51 2). It then flows northeast through Belgium into Holland• the land becoming gradually lower, changing through the heath lands of Northern Belgium to the extensive peat•bngs known as De Peel in Southeastern Holland. Finally the river turns 'westward, joins the Wrial. one of the arm, of the Rhine, opposite (lorkum, and emp ties into the North Sea through the great delta common to the two rivers, a large, compound estuary consisting of broad. sandy, and shallow channels inclosing a number of low, slat islands. The united Meuse and Waal first divide into two arms, one of which, the Diep. flows southwest. and, after emninunivating southward with the delta of the Scheldt (q.v.). enters the
Sea through the broad Ilaringvliet. The other area flows west and again into the Old and the New• which. uniting at several points, flow• parallel to the sea. The old Meuse rommunientes by side ehannels with the ll:a•irg yliet, and the New \tense receives the Lek, an arm of the Rhine. The New \tense• which passes 1tottcrtlant. is the main channel for navigation. The total length of the Meuse is 495 miles. and it is navigable for 355 miles. Its principal (Him tnries are the Sambre from the left. and the Semoy, liurthe. and Boer from the right. It eon nests with extensive canal systems in Belgium and in Holland. Abovp ,Neufehatean. in the De partment of Vosges. the river loses itself under ground tor some miles. The chief cities on its banks are Verdun (the head of navigation), Sedan, and Charleville in France: Namur and • Lii•ge in Belgium: and Maastricht, Dordrecht, and Rotterdam in Holland.
MEW, or SEA-MEW. In Great Britain, a gull (q.v.).